Luke 2

Luke 2 (NASB)

So I wonder why is it that sometimes those who see God's glory or angel would be fearful or frightened, like Zacharias (Lk 1:12) and the shepherds (Lk 2:9)? Is it because of sudden appearance that causes that reaction or is it because it is God showing up in our lives? Should we be afraid? If I truly believe God is love then why should I fear? Shouldn't I anticipate great things from Him when He shows up personally to me? Or do I push Him away and control my own way? Isn't it what I want is to walk with God? But if I believe that God is also just then am I ready to give my account of my life? One pastor once said in his sermon to encourage everyone to live each day as if it is judgment day.

It was a significant event when Jesus was born; God chose to reveal His birth to the shepherds in the field (v.9). Why shepherds? Also, these shepherds were not identified with names. If God chose them for this event they must be very important but why not identify who they were? But of all the people, the Roman officers and governors were identified with names (v.1-2)! It reminds me of many missionaries that were sent to bear the suffering for the gospels, some were well identified by generations of people but many were not known by their work and contribution to God's kingdom. Are these unknown people less important in the work of God then? No, not so. They were just as important in the eyes of God but they were used by God as a different instruments of His good news, just as you and I.

Faithful as they were, these shepherds once heard about what they were told, believed and go on their way, once seen with their own eyes they made known to others and glorifying God (v. 15-18, 20). It is almost like saying, once HEARD of the good news è BELIEVED è GO è WITNESS to others è GLORIFY GOD.

Jesus, being God himself, went through the life of a human form, growing and learning (v. 40, 46), subjecting to His parents (v.51) and the law of people (Matthew 17: 24-27), finding favor with God and men. He had been through and lived in our society… at this moment I feel that He knows me more than I thought… He knew clearly His purpose on earth (v.49), do I? How may I also increase in wisdom (v.40 and 52) as I grow older, by the grace of God…

Mary, woman of mind and heart, pondering (Lk 1:29, Lk 2:19) and treasured (Lk 2:19, 51) all these things that happened in her life. May we remember what God has done in our lives and may we love our God with all our hearts and our minds.

-cy

Luke 2: normal people

Excluding the visit of the Magi mentioned in Matthew and we're left with
everyday people making contact with baby Jesus. I think this omission
reinforces the humble beginnings of the birth of Jesus and that the
grandeur of a king is not based on wealth or extravagance, but instead on
spiritual matters. phil out

Not (Yet) "Above" The Law (Luke 2)

The title notwithstanding, Jesus was not above the law, but He transcended it. Read the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Repeatedly, He said, "You have heard it said...," referring to the Mosaic Law; then he followed with "But I say to you..."- transcending it. Law pervades this chapter of Luke.

In Luke 2, the first verse begins w/ a law- Caesar Augustus has decreed a census be taken and everyone was to return to their hometown to register. Hence Joseph and Mary go from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Interestingly, God uses human law to fulfill His sovereign will. Gabriel says Mary's son will inherit the throne of David (1:32). In 1:4, Joseph is of the line of David and hence must return to Bethlehem for the census. This fulfills the prophecy in Micah 5:1-3, of which v2 is cited in Matthew 2:5-7

1"Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops;
They have laid siege against us;
With a rod they will smite the judge of Israel on the cheek.
2"But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel
His goings forth are from long ago,
From the days of eternity."
3Therefore He will give them up until the time
When she who is in labor has borne a child
Then the remainder of His brethren
Will return to the sons of Israel.

Something that pops into mind here is what God said about Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon: Jeremiah 27:5-7

5"I have made the earth, the men and the beasts which are on the face of the earth by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I will give it to the one who is pleasing in My sight.

6"Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I have given him also the wild animals of the field to serve him.

7"All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings will make him their servant.

In the O.T. God used a Gentile king to carry out His will- to judge Judah. God used Nebuchadnezzar as He used Caesar Augustus- to accomplish His will. Interestingly, Jesus provides a commentary about obeying Caesar in Luke 20:19-26.

I find it remarkable, as well, that Jesus, the Son of God Omnipotent, was subject to human law. Further, He was also subject to the physical laws of the universe and rarely used His powers to break those laws as when He walked on water*or miraculously fed the 5000.

Let's fast-forwarding to Luke 2:21 and on... (Don't worry, I'll come back to Luke 2:8-20 later)

In addition to obeying the law of man (Caesar), Mary and Joseph obeyed God. It may seem like a minor detail, but they followed Gabriel's instruction (1:31) and named the baby Jesus. They further obeyed the Law per Leviticus 12: (all from the cross references in my Bible)

2:21 - Circumcise the baby after eight days. Leviticus 12:3
2:22 - After the days of purification were over, they were to bring the baby and present him to the Lord. Leviticus 12:6-8

2:23 refers to Exodus 13:2, 12; Numbers 3:13; 8:17

2:24 - Offer a sacrifice per the Law of the Lord. Leviticus 12:8

Mary and Joseph's obedience to the law is highlighted in 2:27, but especially in 2:39- (emphasis mine)

39When they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth.

The story that follows in Luke 2:41-52 is very interesting in light of what we've just read... It begins "Now," a marker word signifying something is going to happen, "His parents..." The word parents, as referring to Mary and Joseph, only appear in this story. Ironically, in the passage where the word "parents" appears, Jesus is in disobedience his "parents" by staying behind in the temple while his parents had already left the temple and only realized he was missing three days later. Imagine that- we could make a movie about it: "Home Alone: Jesus in the Temple" (har har har, ok, seriously)

When Mary and Joseph finally return to the temple to find Him in the temple, she says, (emphasis mine) "Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You." And Jesus' response is telling, "Did you now know that I had to be in My Father's house?" (2:48, 49) Clearly, this passage underscores Jesus' true father to be God. Finally, in 2:51 Luke mentions that Jesus continued "in subjection to them."

Hence, Jesus, being fully God, was in subjection to man-made law, physical law, Mosaic law and even (earthly) parental law, but His ultimate submission was to God the Father as evidenced by this story. Though we are not conceived of the Holy Spirit and God the Son as Jesus was, like Him we are subject to the "law of the land," in broad terms, of our existence. Yet, we must ultimately obey our Heavenly Father as Jesus did.


Now, back to Luke 2:8-19. Why did God choose to send the angels to appear to the shepherds?

One of the recurring images in the Bible is of shepherding. In the O.T., there are many people who were shepherds- Abel, Moses, Rachel, David... In fact, Jacob's sons tell us that their ancestors were all shepherds, Genesis 47:3 -

3Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, "^(A)What is your occupation?" So they said to Pharaoh, "Your servants are shepherds, both we and our fathers."

Of course, there's Psalm 23, where God is personified in a shepherd. In the Gospels, Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd in John 10. Then who else to proclaim the birth of the Messiah, the Good Shepherd than to shepherds?


On another note, we often gloss over the proclamation of the heavenly host in Luke 2:14:

14"Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

How many times have we heard "Peace on Earth and goodwill towards men" at Christmas time? Sounds nice doesn't it, but is it Biblical? Nope. In fact, Jesus said it Himself-

Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division;

Luke 12:51

Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

Matthew 10:34

Wow. How about putting that on your Christmas cards this year?

Luke Chapter 2 - New American Standard Version (originally posted July 3)

The birth of Jesus happened quietly, at night, without many people around.

Imagine the Savior born in humble surroundings, with no announcement except that spoken by the angel, and then suddenly praises from a multitude of heavenly hosts.

v.10 - "good news", "great joy", "for all the people"
v.14 - "Glory to God", "peace among men"

-What does Christ's coming mean to me and to you? What words would you use to describe His birth?

Throughout the chapter, I found there are lots of "seeing and looking", things being "revealed" or made known, and things being said and told.

v.15-The shepherds went to Bethlehem to "see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to them".

v.17-The shepherds saw, and made known the statement which had been told them about Jesus.

v.18-All who heard wondered at the things told by the shepherds.

v.20-The shepherds praised God for all that they heard and seen, just as had been told them.

v.25-Simeon was "looking for the consolation of Israel".

v.26-It was revealed to Simeon by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

v.30-Simeon says "For my eyes have seen Thy salvation".

v.32-"A light of revelation to the Gentiles".

v.33- Joseph and Mary were amazed at the things which were said about Him.

v.35b-"...to the end that thoughts from many hearts will be revealed".

v.38-Anna spoke of Him to all those who were looking for Jerusalem's redemption.

v.44-45: Joseph and Mary were "looking for Jesus".

v.47-48: All who heard Him were amazed, and when they (Joseph and Mary) saw Him, they were astonished. Joseph and Mary were anxiously looking for Jesus.

-What have we heard from others about Jesus? And what has been said about Him? --> "Who do the people say I am?...Who do you say I am?" (looking ahead in Luke 9)

-What has been revealed to each of us that we can tell others? Are we looking for something more? Is Jesus enough?

Reminds me of the following praise song:
"Enough" - Passion/Chris Tomlin

All of you is more than enough for all of me,
For every thirst and every need.
You satisfy me with your love, and all I have in you is more than enough.

You’re my supply, my breath of life,
Still more awesome than I know,
You’re my reward, worth living for,
Still more awesome than I know.

You’re my sacrifice of greatest price,
Still more awesome than I know,
You’re my coming king, you are everything,
Still more awesome than I know.

More than all I want, more than all I need,
You are more than enough for me.
More than all I know, more than all I can see,
You are more than enough for me.


Again, thanks for reading my lengthy comment.

Good night, God bless.

-Ying

Luke Chapters 1-3 (Second Delivery Attempt)

...acknowledgments to UPS. My first attempt at
posting did not go through because I sent these as a
word attachment. I thought Kayan was reviewing these
first and then posting. haha. Anyway, here are my
first entries.

Luke Chapter 1 –
• Main point of this chapter appears to be laid out in
1:1-4, that the reader (specifically, Theophilus) is
being given a pretty detailed account of Jesus'
background. It occurred to me that the amount of
detail is prodigious as supported by the author
describing Elizabeth's pregnancy in months (first 5,
then sixth, etc).

• I found interesting the comparison between the
pregnancies of Zacharias/Elizabeth and Joseph/Mary.

• Similarities: God sent His angel Gabriel to speak
to one party of each of the couples. Both Zach and
Mary were initially afraid as Gabriel remarked to
each, "Do not be afraid…" Both Zach and Mary appeared
to exhibit initial apprehension to what Gabriel said.

• Differences: Gabriel spoke to Zachariah (man) and
Mary (woman). It appears that Zach/Elizabeth asked
God for a child, whereas Mary/Joseph did not.
Gabriel's response to the apprehension conveyed by
Zach and Mary is very different. In Zach's case, he
is slightly rebuked for his doubt, but Mary is only
encouraged by Gabriel and by no means rebuked.

• The multiple use of the word "favor" concerning Mary
in 1:28-30 is interesting. Perhaps the implication is
that finding favor with God can result in miraculous
things. In fact, seven verses later in 1:37, it
states, "For nothing will be impossible with God."

• A question arises as to why God uses angels
(Gabriel) to communicate at times, particularly given
the paramount importance of this event. Why would He
not communicate directly?

• What is the purpose of the clearly different
structure of The Magnificat 1:46-55?

Key Takeaways – It appears from this chapter that God
works in at least two different ways. He answers the
petitions of those that call to Him (Zachariah), and
He also works without being asked (Mary). Clay. 7/3/07

Luke Chapter 2 -
• Again, when the angel of the Lord appeared before
the shepherds, the angel said, "Do not be afraid…"
This was the exact same response by Gabriel to both
Zachariah and Mary. Why the need and purpose to
constantly reiterate this point? Perhaps it is just
human nature to be afraid of something one has never
seen or experienced before. However, the exact
phrasing and repetition of the statement makes me
think that there is some other reason for the
statement, "Do not be afraid…"

• Use of the word "Spirit" or "Holy Spirit" in
reference to Simeon is pronounced (mentioned 3 times)
in Luke 2:25-27. I went back to chapter 1 and found
seven occurrences of the word "Spirit". Makes me
wonder why God communicates through the Holy Spirit at
times, directly, through prophets, or through angels.

• How did Simeon and Anna, the prophetess know that
they were in the presence of the Christ?

• I found it interesting in that it appears that God
gave continuous affirmation to Mary and Joseph that
they were indeed in the presence of the Christ
throughout chapter 2. Clay. 7/3/07

Luke Chapter 3 –
• Definition of Tetrarch - Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin tetrarcha, from
Greek tetrarchEs, from tetra- + -archEs –arch
1 : a governor of the fourth part of a province
2 : a subordinate prince

I wanted to look this word up since it has not been a
highly utilized component of my vocabulary.

• It seems that there is a pattern through chapters 1
through 3 that what God says will be done, will in
fact occur. This is supported by the birth of Jesus,
the birth of John as told by Isaiah the prophet in
Luke 3:4-6.

• Did not fully understand the whole wheat and chaff
metaphor by John, and it seemed particularly
important.

• Completely missed the meaning of the Genealogy of
Jesus verses. I know that these are important but
nonetheless was unable to understand it. Clay. 7/3/07

Luke 2 (originally posted July 2nd)

The birth of Jesus was perfectly timed (to enter the history of humanity) and orchestrated by our Heavenly Father - Jesus' humble birth was intentional - birth in a manger for there was no room for Him in the inn! Wow, what a humble birth that God had chosen for His Son! Truly, there must be some lessons I can learn from this:

1. Is the humble birth an expression of His infinite love for us? - His love for us is so infinitely deep that He chose to identify with the true state of my soul - my nothingness and totally sinful nature.

2. Knowing that I have done nothing to deserve what the most High God has done for me, I therefore should know that there is nothing in life I should hold on to so dearly that I cannot let go because truly my life belongs to Him. How else should I live to receive this great love that He has shown me?

3. vv 8-20 described the celebration of Jesus' birth by the heavenly host as well as the shepherds' praises. Truly, the birth of Jesus was the single most important event in the history of humanity that had taken place, as reflected in Simeon's prophecy in v34:

This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed....

Do I truly take this seriously? Lord, please show me and forgive me for my slowness in responding to Your great love!

- Su